Dubai: The Arabian peninsula was hit by unprecedented rainfall and floods, shutting schools and grounding flights on Wednesday last, with parts of the desert nation United Arab Emirates receiving 10 inches of rain in 24 hours.
In Oman, at least 18 people have died in recent days because of the severe weather, the country's National Committee for Emergency Management said. The storms swamped roadways and created dangerous conditions across the region, a normally arid part of the world that is unaccustomed to intense rain and flash flooding.
Dubai's airport advised passengers not to travel to the airport unless "absolutely necessary" and major airline Emirates said it was suspending check-in for all passengers. Dubai's major international airport diverted scores of incoming flights. Videos showed the tarmac in Dubai inundated, with airplanes skimming through floodwaters and support vehicles nearly submerged.
The National Center of Meteorology in Abu Dhabi said the rain in the UAE surpassed anything since records began in 1949, when the area was still a British protectorate and before the discovery of oil.
The Khatm Al Shakla area outside the city of Al Ain, near the border with Oman, received 10 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. The meteorology center called it "an exceptional event in the UAE’s climate history since the start of recording climate data.
The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority urged people to stay indoors, saying that cars should be parked in “safe and elevated locations,” away from flood-prone areas and places where water can accumulate.
Regular flights resume
Emirates, the largest foreign airline operating to and from India, resumed regular flights from Saturday after unprecedented rainfall and flooding hit UAE earlier this week. “As of this morning, our regular flight schedules have been restored. Passengers previously stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are en route to their destinations. We have assembled a task force to sort, reconcile, and deliver some 30,000 pieces of left-behind baggage to their owners. It will take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags, and we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding,” said Emirates president Tim Clark in an open letter.
